[uf-discuss] rel="pavatar"

[Andy Mabbett]

In message <B051F794-C8F4-4635-949C-790749C065B3 at ben-ward.co.uk>, Ben
Ward <lists at ben-ward.co.uk> writes

><liste at jeenaparadies.net> wrote:
>> Is there no interrest in such a microformat like rel="pavatar"?

It's been listed as a "rejected microformat":

        <http://microformats.org/wiki/rejected-formats>

though I can find no such rejection, by this community. Perhaps someone
can give a reference?

Note that the suggested solution there is unworkable, It recommends:

        use hCard, in particular, "photo" and/or "logo" properties.

if both are used, there is ambiguity:

        <div class="vcard">
                <span class="fn">John Doe</span>
                <img class="logo" src="http://example.com/picA.png"
                alt="" />
                <img class="photo" src="http://example.com/picB.png"
                alt="" />
        </div>

Which is the avatar - picA or picB?

>Without getting into the technicalities of ‘what makes a microformat’
>at this stage, I think another reason for lack of interest is that
>really, the hCard microformat can already provide the same function.
>
>The ‘logo’ property of hCard [1] is already used in the wild (to what
>degree I can't say) to mark up ‘avatar’ images.
>
>So for example:
>
>       <link href="http://example.com/pic.png" rel="pavatar">
>
>Can be represented within an hCard:
>
>       <div class="vcard">
>               <span class="fn">Ben Ward</span>
>               <img class="logo" src="http://example.com/pic.png" alt="" />
>       </div>

That doesn't though, say whether or not the logo is an avatar; unlike:

        <div class="vcard">
                <span class="fn">Ben Ward</span>
                <img class="logo" rel="pavatar"
                src="http://example.com/pic.png" alt="" />
        </div>

which is clearly unambiguous, and has additional semantic content.

>Therefore, I think that demand for your pavatar specification is
>limited here as there is in effect an existing solution, which goes
>further than pavatar by making the image a visible part of the  content
>as well.

Were "rel-pavatar" (or "rel-avatar", or "rel-havatar" or whatever) to
become a microformat in its own right, it could me made to only apply as
a rel attribute on an img (or possibly other such object); as such, it
would be no less visible.

See also this discussion of pavatar as a microformat:

        <http://pavatar.com/forum/forum_entry.php?id=13>


-- 
Andy Mabbett
                 <http://www.pigsonthewing.org.uk/uFsig/>

                        Welcome to the 20-day week!